Kaori Hatake

Chapter One

Kaori's Point Of View:

"Wakey, wakey, kiddo. Time for school," Dad whispered, shaking me awake. I yawned quietly, rubbing my eyes while looking back at him. I looked at my clock, reading the numbers: 8:00. School starts at nine.

"I'm awake," I sighed, sitting up and stretching my arms.

"I'll make breakfast while you change," he said, giving me Eskimo kisses before leaving my room. When it's just me and Dad, he doesn't hide his face. That's only when he's out in public. I don't know why, but nor do I really want to try to understand his wierd ways.

I know most of my Dad like the back of my hand, but some things about Dad is still a mystery. Some things, I would like not to know. One thing, for example, is what he reads in those books that Master Jiraiya writes. Those give me the creeps.

I grabbed my outfit, taking a 10 minute shower to relax my muscles. I stepped out, wrapping my towel around me and turned the shower off. Grabbing a hand towel, I dried my face before looking into the mirror. I had a few bruises and cuts from training. I have to tell you that training is no child's play.

My right, upper arm bared my father's parent claim. My mother died to protect me. Dad told me almost everything he knew about Mom. Some things he kept to himself, but I don't push it out of him. Him and Mom were best friends, and he shattered when she died.

I breathed deeply, pulling my clothes on and brushing my hair and doing it's normal style. Then, I put on my headband before leaving the bathroom. I closed the door and followed the delicious scent of eggs and bacon towards the kitchen.

"Hey there, Kaori," Dad smiled softly.

"Hey, Dad," I laughed.

He pulled me into a tight hug. After, like, 20 short seconds, he pulled away, removing the omelets from the skillet, putting them on separate plates. Then, he split the bacon pieces onto the plates, giving us five each. He gave me my plate, and I sat down across from him at the table.

"Are you ready to meet your new teacher, Kaori?" Dad suddenly asked after 5 minutes. I swallowed my food, glancing at the clock again: 8:32. I glanced back at Dad.

"I don't know. I'm nervous, and I want to continue training with you. I don't think I could handle doing things with others, and no one at the academy ever communicated with me in any way. I have no one except you," I whispered, my eyes starting to to sting from the unshed tears.

"I know, kiddo. I'll be there every step of the way, I promise. Don't worry. You can get through this. Look, I'm getting three students to teach. It's not easy training, let alone teaching people you don't know. I'll promise to do my best if you promise to do your best."

He held out a pinkie finger. I laughed because Dad can be such a child sometimes. I laced my smaller one with his. With a smile, we both finished eating. Dad put on his mask and headband as I put our dirty dishes in the sink for after dinner. We then left the house by 8:40.

I can do this. I took a deep breath as I followed Dad on the rooftops. Soon, Dad's so-called "rival" was beside us just as the roof of the academy was in sight. His name was Guy, and oh boy is he freaking wierd. He's even more wierd than Dad, and that's saying something. We all paused on the roof as more Shinobi teachers showed up.

"So, you ready to become a real ninja, Kaori?" Guy grinned. I looked at Dad for a second, then back to Guy.

"I guess. This will be a pain, but I'm willing to give ninja life a try," I shrugged. Some of the teachers chuckled while looking at Dad. "What time is it?" I asked.

"Hmm...8:55. Why?" Guy replied. I mentally slapped myself, but I literally groaned in annoyance.

"I'm gonna be late. See ya, Dad," I called continuing to jump from roof to roof.

"Be careful," he shouted. I paused for a minute.

"I'm your kid. I'm always careful." I smirked before jumping again. I knew Dad would scold me for that later. Well, we're always like that.

I reached the school 3 minutes later, and I jumped from the roof, sprinting towards the door. I took a deep breath before opening the door, stepping inside, and closing the door again. The hallways were completely crowded. I walked over and slumped down against the closest corner.

I lied. I can't do this.

802 words.